If you always want to know how things work and are fascinated by structures like grandstands or bridges then a career in civil and structural engineering may suit you. If in school you enjoy subjects like maths and physics, and since these would be the foundations to the engineering college course, you will probably enjoy the course. If you like the idea of working for a company where you could get to travel, then international companies such as ESB International would suit you well. Engineering is a good and challenging career so you have to want to be challenged in your work, to solve problems and to come up with ways to improve designs.

The Linguistic's interests are usually focused on ideas and information exchange. They tend to like reading a lot, and enjoy discussion about what has been said. Some will want to write about their own ideas and may follow a path towards journalism, or story writing or editing. Others will develop skills in other languages, perhaps finding work as a translator or interpreter. Most Linguistic types will enjoy the opportunity to teach or instruct people in a topic they are interested in.

Surveyor - Building / Construction

Education Most of these occupations require qualifications at NFQ Levels 7 or 8 (Ordinary / Honours Degrees) but some do not.

Related Experience A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an engineer must complete four years of college and work for several years in engineering to be considered qualified.

Job Training Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Inspect and monitor construction sites to ensure adherence to safety standards, building codes, or specifications.

Monitor construction activities to ensure that environmental regulations are not violated.

Work Activities

The following is a list of the most commonly reported work activities in this occupation.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Knowledge

The following is a list of the five most commonly reported knowledge areas for this occupation.

Building and Construction: Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Engineering and Technology: Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Law and Government: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Skills

The following is a list of the most commonly reported skills used in this occupation.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.

Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Personal Qualities

As a building surveyor you need good communication skills and strong leadership qualities. You need to be able to think quickly and act logically with good organisational skills, determination and flexibility so that tasks are completed within required timescales. You also need numeric competence, design and technology and information technology skills. Experience of computer-aided design (CAD) is useful. You must enjoy technical work and you need to be thorough in your work.

Surveying courses in construction cover a wide range of technical skills in the area of science, technology and professional capability. Therefore, you should be interested in subjects such as science, maths, construction technology, law, business and information technology. The courses also place great emphasis on professional skills, including communication, leadership and dispute resolution.

Further Information

A detailed description of this occupation can be found on a number of online databases. Follow the link(s) below to access this information:

Search for Related Courses from Qualifax - the National Learners Database

CAO Course suggestions

If you are interested in this occupation, then the following CAO / HETAC courses may also be of interest. Note that these course suggestions are not intended to indicate that they lead directly to this occupation, only that they are related in some way and may be worth exploring.